Ben al-Haddad studied for an academic year in Senegal as an undergraduate, overcoming requirement challenges and the stigma that study in the sciences is not conducive to learning abroad. Along with the help of a committed adviser and a little perseverance, he found the Minnesota Studies in International Development (MSID) program in Senegal to be incredibly flexible and perfect for his interests.
MSID Senegal requires four semesters of study in French, and Ben didn’t meet that requirement when he first considered applying. So he quickly enrolled in an intensive language study program for three months in France, and he was accepted on the basis of that study.
Once in Senegal, Ben found his French language skills advancing rapidly while living with a Senegalese family. His interest in French persists today, as he still uses French when he is able and does exchange lessons with a French woman via Skype to keep his language skills sharp.
In addition to having an opportunity to practice French, Ben particularly enjoyed daily life as a surrogate part of a family in rural Senegal. “People there have a strong sense of community and want to get to know you and each other,” he said. “I had no idea how close I would become with my host family and even the neighborhood.”
Academically and personally it was an incredibly rich experience, he explained. But he had no idea to what extent his experiences would continue to affect his professional life as well.
His research project in Senegal was on environmental contributors to children’s morbidity and mortality rates. He was eventually able to use his findings in his dissertation on international children’s health policy.
“My experience was a huge boon,” he said. “After graduating, I had two jobs that I basically wouldn’t have gotten without MSID.” He worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development in Madagascar, and later worked for an Irish nongovernmental organization in Ethiopia. He also believes that his MSID experience contributed greatly to his acceptance into a masters program and medical school.
“One of the most valuable things about my MSID experience was the organizational and operational components to my research,” he said. “It was really challenging, but it also taught me a lot,” he said. For example, he learned that communication with authorities and general transparency about the goals is essential during the beginning stages of any research project. Experts need to be consulted and a vast amount of preparation needs to be done before proceeding on a proposed project.
For his internship, Ben worked at a private rural clinic, assisting in consultation, working in a pharmacy, and teaching a health and hygiene class to locals. His experience there had such a profound effect, that he hopes to return to Senegal to do rotations in a hospital there in the near future. He will finish his second year of medical school at the University of Minnesota in 2009. When he’s finished with his current M.D. Ph.D. program, he plans to earn a Ph.D. in Epidemiology as well.
Last modified on January 27, 2009 |